


Painting doesn't Fill Holes

by thesuspectingheroine



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters (Anime & Manga)
Genre: M/M, yugioh - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-02-13
Updated: 2019-06-03
Packaged: 2019-10-27 07:57:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 11,981
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17762843
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thesuspectingheroine/pseuds/thesuspectingheroine
Summary: See, Ryou has taken up the hobby of painting. He started after the whole Millenium item fiasco happened. And the spirits left. Leaving Ryou alone. Again. At any point, the things he's been painting, aren't his memories. The best paintings are the ones he created half asleep. Also, he's pretty sure that he called a spirit into his house that one time he tried to connect to Bakura. He was half asleep okay? He had been working on a campaign...Marik thinks the best way to get an ending (For both of them) is to sneak them into a secret facility that is devoted to Magic.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Honestly, I have no idea what the pairings are yet... Definitely Puppyshipping. That's all I got. I think Thiefshipping is cute but so is Angstshipping.... and I kinda like psychoshipping and Deathshipping... (and bronzeshipping and Tendershipping but I'm probably going to go a more family route in this fanfic. (Between Yami/Hikari or however you want to put it I mean) Definitely gonna be romance. Oh... But then what do I need to do with Yami and Yugi??? Can you see I haven't put that much thought into this? I mean, I have the story-wise. Not the romance part.

He didn’t actually hate the spirit of the ring. Yeah, he did try to kill his friends a few times but his gut told him that it wasn’t actually… him. Not the spirit he means. Of course, it was just a gut feeling. Not really anything with substantial proof. 

 

Sometimes, when he focused with all his might, he could see a slight glow around the ring. When Bakura was… not murderous, the color was a dark purple. But when he was vicious and cold, striking all the parts that hurt? It was a deep, deep blood red. It was at that time when he always felt a cold shiver go down his spine.

 

But he was probably seeing things. Lack of sleep _does_ do that to people.

 

In any point, there was a certain emptiness in his chest now that the spirit was gone. Life was undeniably bland and his body felt like it was searching for something… more.

 

Each day it felt like Ryou was losing himself. I mean, yeah, he felt like that with Bakura and even before that but now he felt it harsher than he ever had. You never noticed something completely until it has been taken away with you. Something like that.

 

He’s taken to painting. No, this isn’t off topic.

 

See, he’s been painting memories. But… they aren’t his. Ryou is pretty sure they aren’t anyway. Last time he checked, he isn’t tan nor does he have a six pack or scars. He does have the white hair except longer.

 

He figured that he was painting Bakura. Or his past memories. Probably. I mean, it’s not like he can ask for sure if it's his memories, the Ouija board doesn’t work.

 

Are you kidding? Of course, he tried that. It was probably a bad idea, considering that he’s got this distinct feeling that he’s called a different spirit. Ah well, it can’t be worse than _Bakura_.

 

Probably.

 

These paintings though… He’s managed to paint Yami- not Yami. Atem. It was weird knowing his actual name. It didn’t feel right to him. He gave the painting to Yugi. He hung it up above his bed.

 

He had so many paintings of Bakura though… Bakura and the probably Bakura. The Egyptian version he means.  His room was littered with canvases and paint. He always had paint _somewhere_ either on his hands or face. Paint has stained most of his clothes.

 

He wasn’t the only one who missed Bakura. Marik did too. Yugi miss Yami. Kaiba does too, he just can’t deal with the fact that he loses every time, I guess. What a sore loser. He heard that Kaiba was making a time-traveling device or something. Would that even work? Who knows. He’s pretty smart.

 

Time travel would be nice.

 

See, Marik was sick and tired of the gloom over the group. Maybe there was a way to contact them. And he had a card he could play. Sure, he wasn’t a leader of the Rare Hunters but the Ishtar’s are an ancient family.

 

So, he decided to bring him and Ryou to one of Maqual. A magical headquarter that has a huge ass library for all magic. Shadow magic isn’t the only magic that exists. There’s plenty of different kinds of magic but let’s not go into that. Too much to go through we would be here all year.

 

That was the beginning of all their trouble. I mean, it would have happened even if they didn’t go but that’s where the story starts.


	2. Nothing like Magic and the Occult to really make your day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't worry, Nailah isn't a romance character. She won't be apart of any romance. (I personally have found myself to dislike oc X characters).

“Um, Marik? I don’t think this is a good idea…” Ryou spoke softly as he looked around the large hall, people passing every so often.

 

“It’s fine I promise! I _do_ have access here. Plus no one is really going to kick us out. They can try.” Marik gave a grin towards the quiet boy who only sighed in response.

 

Yugi couldn’t help but agree with Ryou, despite the fact that no one seemed to care that they were here. Both Ryou and himself stood out naturally but here, it seemed like it was normal. Well, it is a magical headquarter or something.

 

“Marik, you said this was a… magical headquarter? Can you explain a bit further?” The short boy looked up at his friend who nodded and turned and started walking backwards to look at his friends as he spoke.

 

“So, this organization, Maqual, or so was started a long while ago. Like… 3000? Sometime then. I think it was started because… hm. I think…” Marik came to a stop as he tried to recall the reason.

 

“It was started because of how little we knew about magic and it led a close friend of mine down a path that killed him.” A tall woman stood before Marik with a hand on her hip. It was clear that she was of Egyptian descent. She looked from Marik to the other two when her eyes widened for a moment. She ruffled the Blonde’s hair who gave a huff.

 

“Nailah!” Marik fixed his hair before gesturing to the tall lady, Nailah, and introducing her to his friends, “This, is the lady who started this organization herself! Yes, she’s an old lady despite looking like she’s in her twenties. I’m determined to find out her secret. And Nailah, these are my friends Yugi and Ryou!”

 

“Ah, I never thought I would see the day that you get friends.” She pretended to wipe a tear away from her eye before dodging the playful swipe that he gave her.

 

“Rude!”

 

“Oh come on, for a good long while you were cold and grumpy and almost _everyone_ was intimidated by you.” She gave a wink to the two boys who looked at each other with a knowing smile.

 

“So, what, you ever become king or whatever it was you were talking about?” Nailah put a hand on her hip with a mischievous grin on her look which only grew when Marik’s face flushed in response.

 

“Even better, I grew up. Oh, and, uh, I made friends.” Marik looked back at the Yugi and Ryou. Ryou gave a slight pout.

 

“I think we’ve been forgotten Yugi.” The white-haired boy gave a wink to Yugi who covered his mouth as he gave a soft laugh and played along.

 

“It appears so Ryou, I’m wounded.”

 

“Guuuuuuuys that wasn’t what I meant and you know it!” Marik crossed his arms in a playful pout before the group burst into laughter. Nailah merely watched with a satisfied smile.

 

“I told you, Marik, the world is harsh if you don’t have honest friends at your back. You’ll go down the wrong path you know.” She spoke in a playful chiding manner, waving her finger at him jokingly despite how serious she meant her words.

 

“No kidding… If you ever need someone to prove that, Yugi is the one to go to.” His sandy-blond hair waving as he gave a few nods before grinning at the short boy who gave a bashful smile and rubbed the back of his head shyly.

 

“So, what brings you here? I’m sure there is a reason you brought your friends here considering this has pretty strict security for those without a background in Magic.”

 

“I know that! And they do have a magical background! The same background as mine!”

Ryou and Yugi gave look to each other, both unsure if it was alright to tell the woman about it, the feeling only worsening when they noticed the slight change in the woman.

 

“Oh? And by that you mean…”

 

“I mean-“ He stopped and looked back his friends before noting the frown that Ryou was sporting on his face, “Not the point, I don’t suppose you could point us towards any books or scrolls that have something to do with spirits?”

 

He knew this wasn’t what she wanted to hear but Marik understood any reservation that Ryou and Yugi might have. But she shrugged.

 

“Not that I don’t want to help you but that library is huge. And while I’m curious as hell, I can deal with your reservation to tell me your secrets.” She smiled and ruffled Marik’s hair again, the boy only sighing in response.

 

“Okay… Not even a suggestion?”

 

“Try the occult area I guess?” Once she spoke, she noticed Ryou’s eyes widen.

 

“Occult???” His eyes seemed to sparkle at the thought of a huge library filled with magic, real magic, and there was a section occult stuff? That was totally down his alley. His friends only sighed.

 

“Now Ryou, remember what we are here for! You can look at the other books on your own time here.” The blond-haired boy put a hand on his hips and gave his friend a stern look.

 

“But there won’t be enough time!”

 

“We’re staying for a few days. There will be time.” He only snorted at the pout his friend was sporting on his face. Ryou certainly didn’t think so.

 

And he was right. The occult section was larger than Marik thought it was.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

They were surrounded by books. Marik has never read this many books in a week much less a day. Ryou is in heaven. Occult books? On spirits??? Hell yeah. That amount of times that Marik and Yugi have had to stop him from grabbing a book that he caught his attention…

 

Ryou has a pile of books to read later. A large pile.

 

Marik was looking up at the shelves of books, trying to see pick out a few more books that he thinks might give them a clue even, while the shortest of the three were sitting at the table, searching through each book for a clue.

The tallest of the three, however, was about to grab a book off the shelf when he looked to the side and his stomach dropped. He slowly put his hand down as he headed toward someone that was _not_ where he said he was.

 

“Dad?” Ryou stood in front of his dad, frozen to the spot. His dad looked up before his eyes widened in surprise his body becoming stiff. It was silent for a moment, the two keeping their eyes on one another before Ryou’s dad spoke.

 

“You should not be here. This is not somewhere you should be.” The older man frowned at his son, who frowned as well.

 

“You shouldn’t be here either. You-“ Before Ryou could continue, he is interrupted by Nailah who walks up with a tray of snacks.

 

“Now, now. This library is welcome to everyone.” She set the tray on the table that Yugi was at before looking curiously at the two.

 

Ryou shook his head in response. That wasn’t it. He said he was in Egypt just last night when he called his dad. An important excavation that he wouldn’t be able to do anything else not even to talk on the phone with his own son. Ryou wasn’t bitter. Just sad.

 

“Just leave here soon. You don’t know what you are doing here.” His father spoke softly to Ryou before setting the book he had in his hands back onto the shelve. He left without another word, ignoring the pained look that was shown on his son’s face.

 

“…What was that all about?” Marik looked at Ryou curiously. Ryou shook his head and turned around with a bright smile.

 

“Nothing to worry about! Just a misunderstanding on my part that’s all.” He went back to where he had previously been, trying his best to ignore the heavy ache in his chest as well as the tears that were trying their hardest to break through. A misunderstanding. Those words were said out of concern. Magic can be very dangerous after all and that was why he said that. Ryou gave a nod to himself before humming to himself.

 

Marik frowned and looked at Yugi who shrugged. Nailah couldn’t help but notice a strange sense of familiarity but sighed instead.

 

“If you guys tell me what exactly you plan on doing, I could probably direct you in the correct direction. It would be much faster than… this.” She spread her arms in a gesture to the piles of books that surrounded them. She looked at Marik before sighing when he shook his head.

 

“We got this.”

 

“You don’t sound so sure,” She sighed and shook her head, “Honestly you are far too stubborn. You know where I am if you need me…”

 

She walked away, only Ryou noticing the way her footsteps made no noise.

 

“…Marik who exactly is.. Nailah was it?” Yugi looked at Marik who gave a shrug.

 

“Honestly, I don’t really know much about her either. Just that she kicks ass in both magic and fighting. She taught me how to defend myself which is why we are so close. Other than that, I don’t actually know. Which is frustrating now that I think about it.” Marik tapped his foot on the ground in thought before giving a huff and walking to the table and dropping another set of books on it.

 

“She seems… familiar?” Faintly, he felt like he recognized her. But he didn’t. At least, Ryou Bakura didn’t know her.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It had been a long day, looking from book to book for some hint. And honestly, they didn’t even know what they were truly looking for. Something to do with communicating with them? Who knows. But when Ryou went to bed, he conked out. There was no way he would wake up, nothing could make him stir not even the dead.

 

Which of course was an ironic thought. Because the dead _did_ wake him. Well, thoughts of the dead.

 

The white-haired boy sat up sleepily, his mind not even half awake as he grabbed the book bag that he had stuff full of paint supplies. The other two boys in the room didn’t stir. Even if they did, he wouldn’t have noticed. He left the room.

 

When Ryou fully woke up, he was in the library, sitting at the table they had been at previously. In front of him was a canvas, still wet from the paint. He gave a sigh. This was happening a lot recently. He looked at the painting carefully, wondering if there were any clues it held as to why he was doing this.

 

The picture of a smiling woman, long fluffy white hair looked back at him. It wasn’t his mother. But she felt like his mother. Last time Ryou checked however, his mother wasn’t of Egyptian descent. Ryou’s mother was almost the exact opposite of the painting. The painting showed a kind woman, her skin a dark tan and scars that could be seen, peaking from under clothing. Ryou’s mother, however, was frail and her skin a glowing white.

 

Ryou gave a sigh, rubbing his eyes and leaning back in his chair when suddenly a book dropped. He jerked his head to the side to see where the noise had come from when he saw a book lying on the ground against the wall. He looked around carefully before standing up and walking over to it. It was a random book, probably wasn’t shoved all the way in a gravity pulled it to its inevitable doom.

But see, when Ryou tried to put it back, he couldn’t. It wasn’t that there was anything physically holding him back or even that he didn’t know where to put it. There was a clear space where it should have been. It was just that when he tried shoving it in, it only went three fourth of the way. It stuck out like a sore thumb with the neat row of books, shoved all the way back into the shelf. Which admittedly was strange, now that he stood back and looked at the other shelves, especially considering all the other books were pushed neatly to the edge of the shelf.

 

When Ryou peaked into the space he noticed some kind of switch or lever. If he just reached in a pulled it… well, he could probably see what it would do if anything.

 

“And this is where my hand gets chopped off…” he grumbled under his breath and pulled out his phone, turning it out before pointing the screen to illuminate the space. Nothing revealed out of the ordinary and he took a deep breath. When he put his hand back there he shifted around, trying to get a good grasp on the lever.

 

Something touched his hand.

 

Oh hell no. He yanked his hand out, knocking over a few books in the process. It was a tiny spider.

 

“Aww…. You scared me, little guy! Geez… When did I become such a baby.” Ryou shook his head before reaching his hand back and pulled the lever which happened to be considerably easier now that the other books were out of the way. Why hadn’t he just done that to begin with?

 

There was nothing at first.

 

Depressing.

 

Then, with no sound at all, no dramatic creak or rumbling, the bookshelf slowly creaked backward to reveal a hidden passage.

 

“This is so. Cool!” He was literally in secret passage that was hidden behind a bookshelf inside a magical headquarter in what was practically a castle. Every bookworm’s dream.

 

He walked down the creepy stoned steps, his glee almost spilling from his chest. It was like being in a movie, there were spider webs in the corner, small windows that revealed the dark outside alongside yet each had a little old lantern that lit up the stairs.

 

He crept down the stairs as though he was doing something wrong but really, there weren’t any signs telling him that it was restricted access nor did anyone say that he couldn’t. Every sound spooked him and he continuously felt like a mouse was going to run across the next step.

 

When he got to the last step he was greeted to bookcase after bookcase. The book upon the book.

 

Perfect.

 

“Magic seems to like you.”

 

Ryou whipped around to reveal Nailah. He put a hand on his chest as if trying to stop his heart from ripping itself free from his chest. She only laughed and ruffled his hair.

 

“You scared me…” He gave a gentle huff before smiling sweetly at the older woman “Do you mind telling me what this place is? I found it by chance and there wasn’t anything that said I wasn’t allowed to be here so I thought I might check it out…”

 

“Well, this is where the more, uh, sketchy magic is. Well not really sketchy, but like..” She tapped her foot on the ground, trying to think of a good way to put it, “Well upstairs is more of stories and theories but they aren’t ah… they aren’t telling you like magic words or actual magic. No Magic circles or the such.”

 

“That makes sense…” Ryou gave a nod, twirling a strand of hair around his finger.

 

“Normally we would have to give you clearance to access this part of the library but since you are friends of Marik it will be fine. Hey, is your hair naturally white?” Nailah looked at his hair curiously, her own long black hair tied up into a high ponytail.

 

“Oh! Um, yes, it has been white for as long as I remember. Um… Miss Nailah-“

 

“Just Nailah is fine. Makes me feel old ya know?” She gave a grin when the younger boy gave a laugh.

 

“But you are old! At least I would consider over 5000 years is pretty old.” His eyes gave a little twinkle and smile when she gave a pout.

 

“Don’t you know not to tell someone they’re old? So mean. But what was your question?”

 

Ryou hesitated. This question could reveal far too much and if Nailah was not someone he should trust… He let out a breath and spoke. After all, standing there and doing nothing wasn’t going to get him there.

 

“In Ancient Egypt… Did you- Did you know someone who went by Bakura?” He looked at her, aware as to how she reacted. First, her eyes widened. Then she smiled and nodded.

 

“So I’m not crazy! I do know a Bakura. We are talking about the infamous ‘King of Thieves’ Correct?” Her eyes twinkled mischievously and he nodded, his voice was far too twisted in his throat for him to try and speak.

 

“I know him quite well actually, he saved my ass.” Her response untied his throat.

 

“Tell me more.” Someone who knew Bakura. And not just like how Marik knew him, but someone who knew him closely. He was glad when she nodded in return.

 

“Alright, but in return, you have to tell me your connection to him.”

 

“Of course.” Not that Ryou really knew that himself.

 

She gestured for him to follow her and he did. They walked to past shelves and shelves, this room seemed far larger than he thought it should. It had only been a tower right? When they stopped before them was two armchairs facing towards each other.

 

“Now tell me,” She started after they both sat down, “what connection do you have with him?”

 

“Well… it all started when my dad gave me a golden pendant for my birthday…”

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

“Well, I can see you’ve certainly been through some shit… And I have half a mind to beat Marik’s ass.” Nailah releases a sigh, the air shuffling her bangs slightly. The person who she thought she knew… she didn’t.

 

“Don’t be mad about what Marik has done. We have all forgiven him. Besides, I know he still beats himself up over it.” Ryou gave a soft smile, his hands folded neatly in his lap.

 

“If that’s what you wish-“

 

“It is.”

 

“But what bothers me… is how different your Bakura is from mine… Well, not entirely. Sure there is still that gruffness but yours… for him to be so cruel. And the fact that there were so many things that he didn’t tell us…. He just disappeared and ended up dead!” She was upset. Of course, she was, Bakura the king of thieves, was like a brother to her.

 

“I- If it is any consolation, Bakura’s harshness… I think is more of the result from his connection to Zorc who resided within the ring with him. There were times where… he was not so harsh. Like his time with Marik! I mean other than the fact that he stabbed my shoulder with a pocket knife that I really don’t know how he got… That was a harsher time. And some days his presence was different… Er, I’m sorry, I don’t really know how to explain it… and now I’m rambling…” Ryou gave a sigh, running his hand through his hair.

 

She couldn’t help but compare this boy to Bakura. Ryou was so overwhelmingly kind and gentle while Bakura, you had to dig and search for the kindness that he kept hidden under a guise of apathy. The boy before her was gentle and weak. The other was firm and strong.

 

“I appreciate it. I suppose it is my turn to tell you about my Bakura.”

 

“How did you two meet?” Ryou spoke, shifting in his chair as he leaned towards her, eager to know more about a man that was such a mystery to him.

 

“Well, I was eleven or so and I was starving on the street. My family had no more room for me or money so they dropped me off at a village and left.”

 

Ryou gave a small gasp, covering his mouth with his hand. But he dropped them when he saw the shake of her head.

 

“Perhaps it might be cruel now, but then, I can understand. They had two boys and then me. I wasn’t likely to bring in money or the such and they were struggling to feed us already. We were poor. I couldn’t find it in myself to hate them and I still don’t hate them even now.”

 

“But how I  met him… Well, I tried to rob him.” She gave a grin and he gave a snort at the thought.

 

“I can’t imagine that went well.” He spoke, a small smile on his face. She shook her head.

 

“It didn’t. He whooped my ass. I should have expected it, really. Sure, he was only a year older than me but he wasn’t starving or stick thin like I was. But when he left, I noticed a gold ring in my pocket. I recognized it as one that he had been wearing. It was what had caught my eye and made me make him a target. I asked for it and he gave it to me.” She leaned back into the chair. It was a fond memory despite getting her ass kicked.

 

“So I went and found him. I asked him to train me and to tell me his tricks. He laughed in my face and told me to fuck off.” She pouted, crossing her arms like a child.

 

“But after days of hounding him, trying to convince him, I found him in a sticky situation. See, he was surrounded by a few guards and his shoulder was wounded as well. He had a rip in his iconic red jacket. It was too big for him right then though but he rolled up the sleeve so that it didn’t hinder him. He looked ridiculous of course but he grew into it.”

 

Ryou couldn’t help but imagine a small Bakura in an oversized red cloak. He couldn’t stifle the small laugh and Nailah nodded in amusement.

 

“Absolutely ridiculous. But anyway, I jumped one of the guards, catching them off guard and grabbed his arm and we ran. We ran and ran and my god those guards were fucking persistent. Annoyingly so. I found a horse up the road and I was like, you gotta knife? Cut the rope and I'll jump on the horse and pull you up as well. Now, he didn’t like being told what to do. Never really did but I’m glad he listened. I jumped on the horse and yanked him up. Somehow we managed to get on and I got us away as fast I could. I knew how to ride a horse because my dad raised horses. Boss did _not_. He held on as tight as he could as he looked back at the guard.”

 

“Boss?”

 

“Oh, that what I and the others typically call Bakura. I was just the first one he helped.” She gave a grin, running her fingers through her ponytail absentmindedly.

 

“Others…? Where you guys like a gang?” His eyes sparkled as he leaned forward, imagining the scarred Bakura dressed as a Yakuza and laughed at how well it fit him. His Bakura _did_ like wearing black though and he _was_ pretty tough.

 

“I suppose that’s pretty close. A group of tomb robbers. The such.” She gave a small shrug. She only robbed the dead. Nothing bad about that; it wasn’t like the dead need riches. They were dead.

 

“But- um…” He hesitated to ask such a personal question, “Were you two….. together? Like-“

 

Before he could continue, she burst into laughter. She just guffawed loudly, curling up as she laughs. Ryou turned bright red and rubbed his hands together as he waited for her to calm down.

 

“N-no! Haha, Gods no! I’m too gay for that. He’s more like an annoying old brother!” She leaned over and ruffled Ryou’s hair who merely pouted.

 

“I just thought- You seemed to admire him and-“  He stopped when she shook her head.

 

“I do admire him. We all do. He’s called the King of Thieves for a reason ya know.”

 

Ryou shifted back in his seat when a sudden thought popped into his head. He pulled out a pocket-sized notebook from, get this, his pocket and began to write using the tiny pen it came with. He gave a grin before holding it out to Nailah. She frowned at it, trying to decipher what it said.

 

“Tou-zoku? Touzoku? I’m sorry I don’t-“ She scratched the top of her head slightly with a little frown and the boy in front of her flushed slightly.

 

“Um- it means King of Thieves! I thought- I mean I figured it would be easier than saying My Bakura and your Bakura cause that sounds weird. So, yours is called Touzoku! Cause he- He was the one that _really_ did the stealing. Of course, I’m not saying Bakura didn’t steal per se, he did often and the number of times I’ve found a bunch of money in my pocket- Sorry I’m rambling again…” His face was flushed and he fiddled with the little notebook in his hand.

 

“That’s clever! I think he would approve too.” She gave a grin before leaning over and ruffling his hair for what seemed like the millionth time that month. He didn’t try to fix his hair and just grinned right back.

 

“I thought so too!” With a proud grin, his chest puffed out slightly, they both laughed. It had been a while since Ryou had such a loud heartfelt laugh like that. It left a warm feeling in his chest.

 

“But really, you should probably get to sleep. It’s pretty late.” Nailah smiled at him and he nodded.

 

“Yeah… Just let me give a quick glance around and then I’ll pop right back into bed.”

 

“Well, you know yourself better than I do.” She gave a smile before standing up and leaning back into a long stretch. She left while yawning, leaving the white-haired boy to himself.

 

He sat there for a moment, unsure as to what he would start at first until he heard a door creak open. He gently stood up from his seat. Well, these strange occurrences were what led him down here and they have yet to lead him down the wrong path. Yet. He gave sigh and walked through the door.

 

He walked into the room and looked around. It was cold and depressing. Stone walls stone floors ugh. Well, it certainly gave a medieval feel to the room and this _was_ a castle after all. In the middle of the room was a book, covered in chains.

 

“Well this is a classic retelling of hey, this is a forbidden book, don’t read or you will foreeeeveeer be cursed.” He groaned and took a few steps forward, “It certainly is captivating though.”

 

He took a step forward when the chain snapped on the book and fell to the floor with a clatter.

 

“That didn’t help the creepy factor either Mr. Ghost,” The chain gave it moved quickly to the other side of the room, “Mrs. Ghost?”

 

Nothing.

 

“Mrs. Ghost it is then. Sorry about that.” Ryou took a careful step towards the book and when nothing else happened, he picked up the book. Hieroglyphics.

 

“Well I can’t-“ Before he could finish his sentence, the words shifted into Japanese. He stared. He blinked. What the hell… I mean seriously, how many times do you see words change languages? Freaaaaaky.

 

He took a look around. Back to the book. Still Japanese.

 

Communing of Souls.

 

This… was well, kinda creepy to say the least. So, a ghost wants to talk to him? Okay….. I mean, that much was obvious. But maybe this could help him speak to Bakura as well! 

 

He gave a nod and flipped open the book. I mean, sure, he should probably get back to sleep but this could hint to what they had been looking for the whole day!

 

“This book has a table of contents.” There was a stifled laugh before he gave a deep yawn. He really should go to bed…. Nah. He sat down as his legs started to complain from standing in a deathly stillness.

 

“…So I can’t talk to ghosts that are currently lingering in this plane or… whatever.” He gave a frown before looking up.

 

“I can always use an Ouija board for you but I can probably talk to Bakura using this couldn’t I?” Ryou waited before realized that he was likely talking to himself and gave a sigh. He was not losing his mind. Unless he had never had one. Anyway.

 

He peeked out of the small room looking for something he could use to write with. To the corner of the room, adjacent to the room, was a small kitchen. Which is weird, he wasn’t going to lie but it sure was handy. Actually, that was probably why it was there. Easy access.

 

He returned to the room, trying to ignore the oddities that he found in the kitchen, holding a large container of salt. That should work.

 

Looking at the words before him, he muttered them under his breath, over and over again until he stopped saying it wrong. Then he said it a few times more. It’s important to be diligent when fucking with magic.

 

He poured out the salt, meticulously fixing the magic circle. It doesn’t hurt to be too careful, especially when dealing with magic that calls on spirits. You wouldn’t want to call the wrong one. Evil spirits like Bakura. Wait…

 

Once he was finally ready he sat on the cold cobblestone ground before waiting. He wasn’t quite sure what he was waiting for, his heart pounding in his chest like a jackhammer. He took a deep breath and held it for a few seconds before letting it go.

 

And he began. After the short sequence that he spoke, he concentrated on the spirit he was looking for.

 

Bakura. Bakura. Bakura.

 

There was a shine of light and he shut his eyes. For a split second, his mind went back to his conversation that he had just a few moments ago. Touzoku.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Dear god if he let this boy just wander around on his own he would die.

 

That was the first thought that the king of thieves had when he saw Ryou. He looked at his surroundings, a cold room that was made of stone that he was different than what he saw in the tombs he robbed. Only the rich could have such a room. He looked down when he noticed the salt surrounding him in a particular design.

 

“…Was I summoned or something?” He looked up at the other boy who blinked and gave a slight nod. Summoned? What was he, a demon? He was human, thank you very much. Although he supposed he might have lost any semblance of humanity when he set forth on a path of revenge. But that ’s whatever.

 

Ryou looked at the man in front of him. See, this wasn’t the Bakura he meant to call. This Bakura didn’t know him. He guessed that he should just be glad of the fact that it had work and that the book he found in that secret passage didn’t call out something undesirable.

“You know, you probably shouldn’t sit like that. You’re wearing a-“ He couldn’t think of the proper word of it, “A not-skirt.”

The man before him stared blankly.

 

“…You mean my shendyt?”

 

“That’s the word!” Ryou clapped his hands together cheerfully, a bright smile on his face. The smile shifted into a pout when he saw the amusement in the man’s face.

 

“We don’t wear shen- shen-“

 

“Shendyt”

 

“Shendyt. We don’t wear shendyts! Not anymore.” Ryou gave a huff and crossed his arms.

 

“Anymore?” The thief cocked his head curiously and gave a thoughtful hum. So, he wasn’t just in a foreign land.

 

“Er, well if what he said was correct, you’re from… 3000 years in the past? Or maybe it was 5000…” The man before him froze, his eyes wide. Oh, you know, he’s suddenly so far in the future… It’s nothing. Happens all the time.

 

NOT!

 

“Wait, wait, wait… How many years???” He tried to reach out a hand to grab the boy in front of him when his hand was blocked by an invisible barrier. He frowned at that. The other boy blinked before scratching the back of his head.

 

“Sorry that was a bit of a heavy piece of information, wasn’t it? I think he said 5000 years. The times have changed, any civilization that you may have known of have changed and died by now. See, I wasn’t trying to call you really. I was trying to call a spirit that is…. Connected to you in a way?” Ryou tugged on a strand of hair as he tried to think about the best way to explain it. At this point, however, the man before him was struggling to grasp on that fact, his mind spinning.

 

“The beginning. Start… from the beginning.” He rubbed his temples from the budding headache that was emerging.

 

“Right. Um… It started when I first got this ancient Artifact from my dad. Which, um isn’t ancient to you. Actually, you’re older than it.” Ryou gave an awkward laugh as he looked anywhere except the man in front of him who narrowed his eyes.

 

“This artifact…”

 

“You know it well…” he spoke softly, the Millennium items had ruined the thief’s life, “The item I received was the Millennium Ring that you’re wearing around your neck right now.”

 

There was a dark look that spread across the man’s face and his hand grasped the pendant that dangled around his neck. He hated it. There was something morbid about wearing something made from people you cared about. Or even just wearing something that used to be human.

 

“I didn’t know about what it was, how it was made, or about the spirit that had resided in it.” He knew the last thought caught the Egyptian’s attention.

 

“Spirit?”

 

“Mhm. I think… I think the spirit had said he was a piece split from your soul. Your rage, your pain resided in him. He sought to continue the revenge that you had and he tried his best. And dear god he can really hold a grudge. He held it for 5000 years.” Ryou stopped and watched as the man before him processed this information.

 

“…So I didn’t get my revenge? And from the sound of it, he failed too didn’t he.” Ryou shook his head and the other tsked in response.

 

“Neither of you did. But I feel like there’s… I don’t know. You guys were seeking revenge on people who had nothing to do with the death of your villa-“

 

“The hell do you know!” The Egyptian clenched his fists, his cloak held in a tight grasp, “You don’t know shit! So fucking what if they had nothing to do with it?! The royalty has for _years_ taken from the poor and killed and slaughter for no other reason than the fact that they thought they were better than us _peasants._ ”

 

He spits out the last words and Ryou flinched at the rage. But the smaller boy had grown used to rage and he was tired of being an absent thought.

 

“I know more than you think! I dream of that night every day! I don’t- I don’t know why I have your memories. But I saw exactly what you saw. I saw the corruption in those guards. I know the corruption that was in the people that led this… But goddammit murdering everyone isn’t going to fix anything! You kill one off, another appears!”

 

“So then I’ll kill them too!”

 

“You kill and you kill and you kill! Death fixes nothing all it does is harm the innocent people around you and does that make you any better?! You’re killing innocent people just like those guards have!” Ryou shouted and he let go of a shaky breath that he hadn’t realized that he was holding. His hand which had at some point wounded itself tightly into his shirt dropped to his side.

 

“I-“ The Egyptian stopped for a moment, his mind a blur and the headache was raging, blocking any thought he tried to form, “I can’t think.”

 

That caught Ryou off guard. First, they were shouting at each other and now, the other spoke in a soft whisper. It was only until he noticed of the gleam from the Ring.

 

“Take the ring off. Inside it is Zorc and, I dunno, it might be unrelated to your headache but I’ve worn the Ring for years…” The other man looked up at the other boy before sighing and taking off the pendant. As if magic the headache swept away. He frowned at it before sighing.

 

“…Tell me more about the spirit. That was… a piece of my soul? How does that work?” He gave another sigh at the shrug he received.

 

“I don’t really know how it works. Bakura would though- that’s the spirits name. Er, and mine. Well, my last name. My first name is Ryou.”

 

“…We share the same name.”  He received a hum in reply.

 

“I think Ishizu mentioned something about reincarnation. I think… I might be your reincarnation?” he tugged on his long hair gently when he heard a laugh from the man before him.

 

“We are nothing alike. Perhaps there’s a similarity in our hair but everything else is entirely different. You’re thin and weak and far too soft.” He looked at the boy across from him who had his cheeks puffed out in a pout.

 

“Well, in this day and age, we don’t really have any need for muscles! Nor do we need any cruelty, thank you very much.” The other man rolled his eyes with a scoff.

 

“Suuuuure. You’re trying to tell me that there’s no violence or corruption in the future? Humans take violence like a duck takes to water.” He grinned in triumph when the other boy gave a huff.

 

“I mean of course there’s violence and corruption but at least the normal people have a little power… Yeah, there’s violence but life is mostly tranquil and if you are in a bad place, there are people and places to go to get you out of it. There’s more compassion, I think… And corruption is bound to be where power is. But not everyone is corrupt. Like Atem wasn’t corrupt.” Ryou spoke confidently but shrunk back slightly when he heard a growl from the thief.

 

“Bullshit. There’s no way that he isn’t corrupt. royalty is corrupt.”

 

“Sure, and all ‘peasants’ are moral-less murderers” Ryou spoke, putting air quotes around the words peasants, “Humans have so much variety that you can’t tie a whole group of people to one thing. There will always be exceptions. Not all thieves are evil. Not all Royals are kind.”

 

“So what? Was I supposed to just let it go?! Oh, you murdered my whole village and dumped them in molten hot gold while they were still alive but that’s alright I forgive you?! Do you know how ridiculous you sound?!”  He scowled and the other boy scowled right back.

 

“Of course not! That’s a load of shit! But murdering people won’t change what happens! It just makes it worse! Maybe you took your revenge in a different way? Like- Like- Like imagine if you took the truth to the people! Do you really think the citizens would have let that slide?!”

 

The Egyptian gave a sharp laugh.

 

“Yeah! They fucking would! They don’t give a damn if there’s a kid dying in an alleyway from starvation and there’s no way they would go against fucking _royalty_! The same thing will happen to them!”

 

“Well, you have to build trust! How can you expect trust from others if you won’t give it to others yourself?”

 

“Isn’t it the same like-wise? Why should I give my trust if they don’t give me theirs?” He crossed his arms and Ryou gave a low groan, covering his face with his hands.

 

“That would just go nowhere! Ugh, we’re talking in circles…” Ryou shook his head, his head still in his hands. This was ridiculous.

 

“The world is cruel.”

 

“The world is what _you_ make it. It’s cruel if you’re cruel. It’s kind if you’re kind. If you want to change the world then you have to start with you first. Person by person. It takes time…” He had lifted his head from his hands and looked at the other man.

 

It was silent for a bit, neither speaking to one another.

 

“I lost my whole village Ryou.” It was a weird name for him to say. He never realized just how tired he was. He wanted it to be over and for the blood to be paid in full. 

 

“It never should have happened.” The smaller boy spoke in a whisper before the room fell into silence yet again. Neither spoke for a bit until Ryou gave out a loud yawn.

 

“I suppose I should send you back…” Despite their argument, they both hesitated. Neither wanted to leave. It was quiet here and Ryou had someone to talk to, finally in so long. He was tired of being by himself.

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Goodnight Touzoku.” Ryou gave a sad smile and before the King of Thieves could inquire as to what that last word meant, he was back in his heartless sandy home.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Man, if I did the same amount of energy and research as I did for my school papers, I would be the highest in all my classes. The amount of research done... Geez. Well, it's worth it.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed and all! Please leave kudos or a comment if you want! Thanks for reading!


	3. Little Girls Don't belong in Deserts

After sweeping up the salt and throwing it away in the trash can, he put the book back on the pedestal. He thought for a moment before picking it back up again. What if he got lost and couldn’t find the book again? It was a castle of _magic_ , after all, and really. If it didn’t have _some_ sort of tricks, it would be a downer.

 

He tried not to think about the fact that he hadn’t contacted the right person, but that was likely due to the stray thought and the lack of clarity of his thoughts. It was better than nothing however and he would try again tomorrow. After sleep.

 

He walked back up the stairs, struggling to keep his eyes open. He passed the canvas before stopping. He looked at it for a moment and grabbed it as well as his paint supplies. There was a slight mess but honestly, he didn’t really care.

 

He got back to the room, sneaking in quietly before slipping into the empty bed. With a sigh, he curled up in a ball.

 

Sleep.

 

Finally.

 

As he curled up, it was only a few minutes later that Marik woke up and turned the lights on.

 

“Alright, guys! Time to get up and start another day of searching!” Marik’s hair was crazy, in a fashion similar to his darker half’s.

 

Yugi got up with a groan but when they turned to wake up Ryou…  Well, they stopped after they mistook him for Bakura for a split moment. Don’t try to wake up Ryou when he hasn’t slept much.

 

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 See, when Touzoku returned to the part of the cave that he stayed in, an area away from his own group of bandits, he was confused. He looked down at the Millennium Ring. It laid there in his lap silently, although a part of him felt something deeper that he never considered.

 

He never stopped to think about it. I mean, what was there to think about? His village was murdered for power by greedy disgusting trash and they deserved to pay for what they did. After speaking to Ryou however, a strange boy, he started to consider things that he never thought of.

 

Who made the rock in which held the indents to form the millennium items. Who found out about such a hideous way to make powerful items? Was it really a human that found it out by chance? Would the Royal family have done it if they didn’t know for certain that it would make the items?

 

Probably.

 

“I’m going crazy.” He gave a grown before standing up. Thinking like this wasn’t going to get him anywhere nor was laying on the ground. He had gotten this far, having already stolen the millennium item from one of the priests.

 

A small voice tried to convince him to give it back.

 

No way. This was a plan of revenge that began many years ago. He wasn’t going to stop just because some boy told him he should.

 

With that, he left the cave, murmuring to where he was going to whoever asked and left with his horse. He was intent to forget everything that he just dreamed or whatever happened and just ride. It was fun. Almost as fun as stealing.

 

Riding across the sandy plains to another oasis that he knew was there was something he did when his head got too full of screams. Sometimes mindless actions were just the thing he needed. Plus, so far, he had never had to deal with anything annoying while on his horse. Whenever a group of bandits tried to stop him, he would just race pass them and eventually outrace them.

 

This time was not like the others and he did encounter an annoyance. What a pain.

 

See, when he finally reached the other oasis, he stopped to let his horse drink from the small spring. To the side, however, was the pain.  A small girl sat there, curled up against a tree.

 

And she was as pale as Ryou and her white hair only added insult to the fresh memory.

 

Maybe he really was going crazy. Damn.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

When Ryou woke up, the room was dark with the curtains still covering the windows. Noting that he was the only one in the room he got up. He shrugged off the fact that the others hadn’t tried to wake him up before walking into the bathroom to brush his teeth.

 

When he came back into the room at spotted the book from last night, everything rushed back to him. This was… insane. Seriously. First of all, that Bakura was not the Bakura he knew. That was a different Bakura. How many Bakuras are there? A lot apparently. Him, Bakura, and Touzoku.

 

Touzoku really is a great name for him. The king of thieves.

 

Anyway.

 

 

He grabbed the book and opened to the page which held the instructions that he did last night and repeated them once more in the front of the beds. Good thing he had kept the container of salt.

 

This time, he was determined to call up Bakura. He focused on every memory he possibly could that he musters of his dark lookalike. He imagined the spirit forming before him, sitting lazily with his legs crossed, arms resting on his legs and that confident smirk that he often wore easily on his face.

 

And it worked.

 

When Ryou opened before him, sitting there was Bakura. His arms were crossed and he clearly looked confused although hidden somewhat under a frown.

 

“How the hell did you call me. Not only that, but we have two separate bodies.” They looked at each other, the spirit looking suspiciously at his doppelganger who merely smiled at him.

 

“I would hug you but there’s a barrier so I can’t really touch you. And I don’t think you like hugs.” His voice was soft, his chest light as his other half rolled his eyes.

 

“Tell me how you did this.”

 

“Well, apparently Marik had this-“

 

“Marik is here?” That caught the grumpy boy’s attention and he merely nodded.

 

“Yes, but not in this room. He has this connection to this organization or whatever that is all about magic or something and so we went to the library-“

 

“We as in you and Marik or…” He trailed off when he nodded in reply.

 

“Me, Marik, and Yugi.” The other sighed at the last name but said nothing about it. Bakura rested his head on his hand and lazily gestured for him to go on.

 

“Well we went into the library to find a way to at least talk to you and Yami- I mean Atem, and during the day we found nothing just books upon-“

 

“Anyway.” Impatient? Yes. But he knew that the spirit of the ring had little patience when Ryou started to ramble about details that didn’t really matter.

 

“Well during the night I somehow managed to find this secret passageway, apparently we were in the wrong section, the theory section. But I found this book!” He turned to the side and lifted up the book, showing the cover to him. He nodded slowly after reading the title.

 

“And it fucking worked. How the hell did you get lucky to find that?” His eyes narrowed at the tired boy who got surprisingly flustered.

 

“Um, well, I tried to find other ways to talking to you and I think that I might’ve called another spirit here but it helped me find it by drawing my attention to the things like the secret entrance and the room that held the book.”

 

Bakura knew that Ryou was absentminded occasionally, but seriously? He just followed a random spirit like it was nothing? It could have been dangerous.

 

“I can’t believe you just followed a random spirit. Did you speak to it through this?”

 

Ryou shook his head.

 

“It wasn’t possible, the soul had to be on another dimension or layer or whatever it said. Since it was on the same plane as I was, I couldn’t speak to it. Oh… and, um, I tried to contact you last night. I- I didn’t get you though.”

 

Oh for the love of Ra. This idiot.

 

“And what, dear yadonushi, did you get?” He ignored the pout that the other gave at the old nickname.

 

“I’m not your host anymore so you can’t say-“

 

“WHAT DID YOU SUMMON.” Bakura hissed angrily. If it was dangerous, he had to know immediately so he could think of a way to stop the idiot from getting himself into more danger. He had a talent of finding it. Danger, that is.

 

“Um, well, technically it was you. But- not… You?” Ryou tugged on his hair, avoiding eye-contact with the red-eyed man.

 

“…What?”

 

“Like… it was a Bakura… but like… the Egyptian one! With the scar on his face! He didn’t recognize me so-“ He was interrupted. Again.

 

“How the fuck-“ He groaned, “So you called the me… from the past? How is that possible? A soul, whether it is in the past or not is the same soul- unless…”

 

Ryou looked at the spirit, curious to know what it meant. A part of him was eager to learn more about them.

 

“Unless this damn soul is in more pieces than I thought.” Bakura put his head in his hands.

 

“…What? So he’s… a piece of your soul? Or you’re a piece of his soul?” He was trying to understand, really, but this was a bit confusing.

 

“The Millennium Ring has the ability to put pieces of a soul into objects. I thought… Well if I’m to get this right, he separated a part of his soul into the Millennium Ring, which created me. I thought the other part of his soul was reincarnated when he died and then eventually making you. But if I’m understanding this correctly, then perhaps he separated his soul into… two more pieces? I know you’re a part of my soul. Our souls resonate far too much for it to be a coincidence. It is the same feeling that I get when I have split my soul into another piece. But why and how did he do it? He didn’t know the abilities of the Ring.”

 

Ryou listened carefully, curious about this himself. He didn’t know much about the Millennium items and Bakura. Merely faint trickles of memories that have been appearing in his mind after he vanished. The creation of the Items were the only clear dreams he had that he remembered every detail. Nightmares other than that were cold and he would remember flashes of memories of a knife, pain in his eyes, and rage. He preferred the good dreams. I mean, obviously. Those were warm and cozy with memories of a warm embrace, laughter, and confidence. But they weren’t his memories.

 

“What a pain.” Bakura dragged in hand through his hair in annoyance.

 

“Sorry…” Ryou wasn’t quite sure what he was apologizing for and neither did Bakura if the scowl he was given was any indication.

 

“Don’t apologize for nothing or unimportant things. It’s annoying.”

 

“Sor- ah…” It was hard not to apologize. He did it so often for so many things and some days it felt like he did nothing right.

 

This reminded him of the argument they had. Not with the Bakura before him, but with Touzoku.

 

“Um… I…” How could he bring this with the other man? He wouldn’t care. Perhaps he was being annoying again. He didn’t want him to leave, Ryou was tired of being alone.

 

“If you have something to say, then say it. Stuttering won’t do anything for you.” Bakura watched Ryou carefully. It was annoying to see him look upset about something and his way of trying to find a nice way to say it was infuriating. Just say what you want!

 

“I-,” Ryou took a breath, “I had an argument with the other you… I’ve been calling him Touzoku. Like King of Thieves.”

 

“…And?” Surely there was a reason he felt so scared to bring it up.

 

“Um, I feel bad about it… I was rather insensitive of me… I was criticizing how he went for revenge.” Ryou fiddled with his hair, his eyes hidden behind his bangs. When he heard a loud laugh, his head snapped up and he gave a pout.

 

“Are you shitting me? Ha, I thought this was something serious!” Bakura held his sides, his eyes starting to water from laugh so hard.

 

“I’m serious! You don’t have to be so mean!” Honestly, the spirit could be so insensitive sometimes!

 

“I’m sure he wasn’t happy about it but so fucking what?  It was only when Zorc got sent wherever the fuck he went, that I realized that I was being used as a goddamn puppet. If I saw him again… well.” Bakura got a vicious grin on his face.

 

“Normally I would be pleased to hear that but that look is creepy, Spirit.” Ryou frowned with he let out a laugh before giving a sly shrug.

 

“But don’t get me wrong, I’m still fucking pissed at the royal family but the likelihood of Zorc being the fucker to have made that tablet his far too high. Plus, just the fact that he decided to manipulate and mess with my head is far too annoying. So I’ll punch the Pharaoh after I punch Zorc.”

 

Well, that’s a start. Ryou sighed at the other man who merely smirked.

 

“I guess that’s more than I expected from you. I’ll help you punch Zorc but not Yami. Er, Atem. Wait do you think they’re in the same situation as us? Being three of them? Yugi, Yami, and Atem?”

 

“I suppose it’s possible. I don’t know and I don’t really care.” He spoke bluntly as he picked the dirt from under his fingernails. Really, he didn’t know why Ryou thought he cared.

 

“He was pretty mad… But I think he didn’t want to end the conversation either! Er, I mean like, cause I called him last night and I was tired, I felt like I wasn’t the only one that wanted to keep talking!”  He shifted from where he was sitting, moving to sit on his legs. Sitting on a wooden floor isn’t comfortable kids. Not recommended.

 

“Probably because if he really is a piece of our soul then it’s no wonder. A soul isn’t meant to be in pieces so of course it’s bound to try and stay with the other piece of itself.”

 

While what Bakura said was likely true, it didn’t make Ryou happy. He was more of hoping that it was because he was as lonely as Ryou himself was. No, Bakura is right. That’s ridiculous.

 

Bakura frowned when he noticed how Ryou’s shoulders dropped, his face now hiding behind his hair.

 

“Right. Of course.” Ryou sat up straight with a bright smile on his face, brushing his bangs to the side. A fake smile was something he was rather talented at. But talented or not, the man before him had been in his head for years. He knew what it meant when he smiled like that while he kept one hand on his other shoulder.

 

“What now. Look, I can tell when you’re not happy so stop trying to play pretend. I never understood why you don’t just tell people why you aren’t happy. It would be so much easier for you.” He scowled at the other boy who chewed of the inside of his cheek.

 

“Ah… I forget how well you can tell. I was just- I guess I was hoping that he might have wanted to talk longer just because? I suppose that doesn’t really make sense, does it.” He expected the spirit to laugh at him. He merely crossed his arms, while wearing a poker face as he observed Ryou.

 

“Why are you still lonely. There’s no reason for you to keep yourself from Yugi’s group since I’m not here, not to mention I thought you talked to Marik as well. What’s the issue now?”

 

There wasn’t one. Not really. Well really, there was, but Ryou didn’t really want to seem stupid.  He hesitated before he spoke.

 

“I don’t want to be a nuisance… And I don’t really know if I’m actually a part of the group… I mean everyone says I am, but sometimes I don’t feel like I really belong. I’m probably just overthinking like usual…” He rubbed the back of his head with an awkward laugh.

 

“I doubt it. You seemed to fit in fine when I was still there. You’re definitely just overthinking. And what of Marik? He would clearly let you know if he thought you were annoying.” He uncrossed his arms again and laid his head on his hand. That was true, Marik didn’t have any patience for people that he thought was annoying.

 

“Yeah, but what if Marik’s only hanging out with me because he’s just waiting for you to come back or something-“ 

 

Suddenly the door was flung open to reveal Marik. He had terrible timing. Or brilliant timing. It depends on who you ask really.

 

“That’s not it at all! If you were so worried Ryou you could’ve told me!” The tan boy pouted, Yugi peaking around him.  

 

“I- I know! But I was just- I mean-“  The boy in question struggled to put together his thoughts, partly because of panic and perhaps partly from his fear.

 

“Basically he knows that he’s likely wrong but there’s a part of him that makes him doubt and go ‘But what if?’” Bakura answered for his lighter half waving his hand lazily at the boys. He had spent enough time with him to know what exactly is going on through his head. He could easily mimic Ryou if he cared enough to do so.

 

Marik stepped forward to see Bakura and stopped before giving a wide grin. The spirit smirked.

 

“I figured as much, thank you for nothing Bakura.” The blonde stuck out his tongue in his direction. Bakura only rolled his eyes as his lighter half giggled in response.

 

“Childish as always I see.”

 

“And you’re as grumpy as always.”

 

They gave each other a sly grin and for a moment and Ryou could say that everything felt right. Just for a moment. Bakura couldn’t move from that magic diagram on the floor, he still felt guilty about that argument with Touzoku and there are probably more things that could happen.

 

“Bakura I just wanted to say-“  Yugi stepped forward, shutting the door behind him as he spoke.

 

“No. I don’t care. I don’t need an apology.”

 

“Bakura!” Ryou gave a huff but Yugi shook his head.

 

“It’s fine, at least he knows what I wanted to say. What happened…” Yugi scowled at the ground. He couldn’t believe that Yami’s- Atem’s father could do something so horrible. Power or not it was still a mass murder of innocent people.

 

“Never should have happened. But see, it did. That’s life. A lot of humans try to seek power and will do anything to get it.” The spirit scowled at a wall. He knew now that there were at least a few that wouldn’t do such thing for power but even then that was few people. Like Ryou, that boy was far too kind for his own good and it might just bite him in the ass one day.

 

The group was silent for a bit when Bakura frowned and looked towards the door which hung open a bit.

 

“How long do you plan to listen to? Nailah.”

 

Marik whipped around to see the door open, revealing the tall Egyptian. Nailah leaned against the door and observed the spirit. This wasn’t the one she knew, that was for sure.

 

“So this was what you guys were doing? I could have helped you know. I’m curious to meet this Bakura. He’s a lot grouchier than the one I’m familiar with.” She spoke, a casual grin on her face. The spirit gave a snort before shaking his head.

 

“I think a person would naturally change when you’re stuck in a magical item alongside a shitty dark god but if his,” He gestured to Ryou “meeting the… other... me? The me from the past? Well, I don’t have any memories of being called, so either he is a mimic, or perhaps we are separate beings from each other.”

 

He sighed before running his fingers through his hair. It was plenty of food for thought and it was a pain to bother with.

 

“How did you manage to contact him? This ritual… I’ve tried it before but it never worked for me.” She kneeled down and opened the book once again.

 

“Um, I just did it how I read in the book…” He couldn’t think of any reason as to why it would work for him.

 

“I wonder why it worked this time…” She looked at the boy curiously as she thought to herself.

 

“Let me see that book.” Bakura held out his hand only for it to bump into a barrier.

 

“Can it even go through the barrier?” Nailah held out the book towards him, and it went straight past the barrier along with her hand.

 

“It’s meant to keep the spirits in. Not humans out.” He took the book and opened it, trying his best to memorize it. It would take longer than just this moment but he had to start somewhere and the somewhere would be right now.

 

There was a buzz from Ryou’s phone from the end table. He got up, using the chair nearby Bakura, to get up and at that moment he accidentally knocked down his bag. The bag fell to the ground and blew the salt circle away and that moment Bakura vanished.

 

“Ah shoot,” Ryou muttered to himself as he picked up his bag and put it back on the chair.

 

“What happened…? Wait the books gone!” Yugi’s eyes went wide at the realization. He still wanted to talk to Yami. Ryou waved his hand carelessly.

 

“It’s okay I took pictures of the inside of the book. I think I can recall it saying that if the salt circle is broken then the spirit you are trying to contact will vanish automatically.”

 

The tri-colored teen let out a breath he hadn’t realized that he was holding. He shouldn’t have been worried. Ryou was a meticulous planner in some cases. At least, when it came down to things such as the occult or magic. He could be a little forgetful in other situations but that’s neither here nor there.

 

“Yeah, see? It says that to end the summoning you must break the circle. This was also used as a protection in case a situation happens to break the salt circle. Whether or not you decided to summon a malicious being or not, the circle can sometimes summon other spirits as well so it is always a good idea to make sure that you are careful when summoning spirits.” He read it word for word from his phone.

 

“Wait did you take a picture of every single page? That sounds like a giant pain…” Marik muttered the last part as he walked over to Ryou to peek at his phone, wary of the salt on the floor.

 

“Yeah but I’m glad I did.” Ryou smiled brightly at the boy who gave a slight blush in response to the smile.

 

“You two really plan well. Tou always meticulously planned everything from beginning to end. He rarely failed.” She grinned at the memories while the blonde haired boy gave her a weird look.

 

“Tou?”

 

“Yeah, see I was telling stories about my boss to Ryou and since it turned out that it was Bakura he knew as well. So we’re calling the one I know Touzoku.”

 

“I have a lot of times on my hand and so I was thinking about the fact that Bakura had called himself the king of thieves one time and I was just- wait I have actually something more important to tell you!” The white-haired boy began to ramble but cut off when he recalled the summoning that happened last night.

 

“See, The Bakura we know, the spirit of the ring, might just be completely different from the Bakura that Nailah knows, Touzoku. Which he mentioned in the beginning but… It might be easier if I tell you what happened last night.”

 

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Touzoku looked down at the small girl before him. She was curled up in a foreign dress and she was certainly a foreigner that shouldn’t be here. Not just here in this country but here, in the middle of butt-fuck nowhere. A random ass oasis that was surrounded by endless seas of sand.

 

He thought about it. Really, he should ignore her and just go back to the others. This would certainly be a giant pain in his ass and really, he should just leave it. But something about her reminded her about the boy from last night. And so he groaned and crouched down next to her.

 

“Hey, kid…” Tou nudged the girl slightly in the shoulder yet she only mumbled. It must be nice having a sense of security to sleep that hard. He’s never slept a night without waking up from a shuffling rock or the howling wind at least five times because he thought it was footsteps or someone’s voice.

 

“Hey, kid!” He spoke louder and shook her a bit harder. She woke up to that and looked up at him with doe brown eyes that really matched that boy Ryou.

 

She looked around her in confusion and it was clear that she had no idea where she was. Her lower lip wobbled slightly but she clenched her hands in her dress in an attempt to calm herself.      

She must have been kidnapped to be a slave or something. It was the only thing he could think of at this point in time.

 

“Hey… Do you know why or how you got here?” He looked at her, his voice soft. He sat down and turned his head to the side to see her face. The little girl shook her head. He didn’t really think she would know anyway but it couldn’t hurt to ask.

 

“Right…” He sighed, “What’s your name?”

 

“My- my mom said not to talk to strangers.” She said softly, with what little bravery that she could manage in this situation.

 

“….Right. At least you have some common sense. My name is Bakura. Is that better?” He frowned when she suddenly lit up.

 

“My names Bakura too! My last name I mean. I’m Amane Bakura!” She gave him a bright smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm late. yay. Sorry guys I'm just stressed. I Should have got this chapter out sooner I got stuck for a moment... My bad!!!!   
> I hope you enjoyed!

**Author's Note:**

> It's only short cause it's the prologue. Don't worry it will be longer. The actual chapters I mean.   
> But if you guys have particular pairings you want then go right ahead!!!


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